Container having registering means, carrier therefor and package thereof

ABSTRACT

A container having registering means formed at one end which makes it possible for the container to be locked in a carrier properly oriented with a cluster of other similar containers. A container carrier having upper and lower connected container engaging means for engaging and locking together a cluster of containers and means interengaging with the registering means formed on the container. A cluster of said containers locked together in said carrier to form a package.

[15] 3,685,647 [451 Aug. 22, 1972 United States Patent Erickson [54]CONTAINER HAVING REGISTERING 3,139,824 7/1964Derrickson................215/1 C MEANS, CARRIER THEREFOR AND 3,298,5141/1967 Erickson..................206/65 C PACKAGE THEREOF P' E Le as 72Inventor: Gerald Erickson, Po. Box 6175, ummer Surfside, Fla. 33154Sept. 17,1970

Attorney-Brumbaugh, Graves, Donohue & Raymond ABSTRACT A containerhaving registering means formed at one [22] Filed:

[ 1 pp 0 end which makes it possible for the container to be locked in acarrier properly oriented with a cluster of other similar containers.

[52] US. Cl...............206/65 E, 206/65 CT, 220/102 [221;] Acontainer cam-er having upper and lower connected 1 1 l9 0 0 252container engaging means for engaging and locking together a cluster ofcontainers and means interengaging with the registering means formed onthe container.

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS A cluster of said containerslocked together in said carrier to form a package.

4 Claim, 2 Drawing Figures 3,203,580 8/1965 Erickson....................220/102 3,033,403 5/1962 Adel]...................215/1RUXPATENTED M1922 I972 INVEWOR. ALD ERICKSON 22 23 QMJZWL v f his ATTORNEYSoriented relative to one another, for example, so that their labels orbrand names will face outwardly and be clearly visible.

This invention is an improvement over the bottle, bottle carrier andpackage of bottles described in the Erickson US. Pat. No. 3,298,514,issuedJan. 17, 1967. The novel bottle described and claimed in thatpatent has upper and lower chimes integrally formed thereon to make itpossible for the bottle to be locked in a carrier designed for lockingtogether a plurality of conventional cans.

The object of the present invention is to provide a container, acontainer carrier and a novel package which make it possible to packagea plurality of containers in a carrier with the containers properlyoriented so as not to obscure the containers, their labels or theirbrand names.

This object is achieved by forming interengaging registering means onthe carrier and on each container. In the preferred embodiment of theinvention the interengaging registering means serve not only to orienteach container in the desired position relative to the carrier but asthe means for locking the respective end of the container within thecarrier.

The present invention provides a neat package in which the labels, brandnames or other indicia on the containers are conspicuously and uniformlydisplayed and not obscured by an outer wrapping.

For a more complete understanding of the present invention reference canbe made to the accompanying drawings, in which:

P10. 1 is a perspective view of the novel package of the presentinvention showing the containers locked in the carrier; and

H6. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the containers taken along the line2-2 of FIG. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The novel container of the present invention is illustrated in thedrawing in the form of a bottle which includes a cylindrical,substantially vertically disposed side wall having an upper tapered neck11, a top wall 12 extending outwardly from the lower end of the neck anda bottom wall 13. The neck portion of the bottle is adapted to receive acap 14.

The carrier, generally designated 15, for locking together a pluralityof the bottles includes upper bottle engaging means 16, lower bottleengaging means 17 and a plurality of connections 18 between the upperand lower bottle engaging means for maintaining the bottle engagingmeans in locking engagement with both ends of the bottles.

In the particular embodiment of the carrier shown in FIG. 1 there are apair of upper bottle engaging means joined by a connection 19 and a pairof lower bottle engaging means 17 joined by a connection 20. Thisparticular bottle carrier is suitable for locking together six bottlesin a package. However, the carrier may include only a single upperbottle engaging means and a single lower bottle engaging means forlocking together a group of four bottles, or the number of such bottleengaging means may be increased to lock together more than six bottlesin a package.

The carrier is preferably molded in one piece of a flexible plasticmaterial, preferably linear or high density polyethylene.

The carrier is shown in FIG. 1 equipped with a handle 21 integrallyformed with the carrier with the ends connected to the upper bottleengaging means 16. In lieu of a handle, however, it may be desirable toprovide finger holes through the upper bottle engaging means.

In the particular embodiment of the bottle shown in the drawing adownwardly depending peripheral rim or chime 22 is formed at the lowerend of the bottle. This depending chime is accommodated within a channel23 of the lower bottle engaging means 17. This interlock between thechannel of the carrier and the chime of the bottle supports and locksthe lower end of the bottle in the carrier. In this respect thestructures of the lower end of the bottle and of the lower bottleengaging means are the same as the respective structures of the bottleand carrier disclosed in the above-identified patent.

The upper wall 12 of the bottle has one or more dimples 24 therein forregistering the bottle in proper orientation with respect to the carrierand the other bottles of the package. This dimple is engaged by a depending protuberance or nipple 25 formed on the upper bottle engagingmeans 16. When the protuberance of the carrier enters into theappropriate dimple of the bottle, the bottle is not only locked into thecarrier but it is also registered in proper orientation with respect tothe carrier and the other bottles.

In the preferred embodiment, four dimples are formed in the top wall ofthe bottle, spaced apart. However, only one of the dimples is utilizedfor holding and registering the corner bottles of the package, and onlytwo of the dimples are used for holding and registering the bottlesintermediate the corner bottles. If the label, brand name or otherindicia on the side wall of the bottle is to be visible from each sideof the package in proper registration with respect to the other bottles,such label, brand name or indicia should be placed on the side wall ofthe bottle opposite the two dimples which would be used to lock anintermediate bottle in the carrier. With the label, brand name orindicia so located in relation to the dimples, it does not matterwhether the bottle is packaged as an intermediate bottle or as a cornerbottle as long as the appropriate dimple, or dimples, is used to lockthe bottle in the carrier.

Although in the preferred embodiment of the invention the dimples areprovided on the top walls of the bottle and chimes are formed on thebottoms of the bottles, it is understood that the dimples can be formedon both the top and bottom walls of the bottle or that the dimples maybe formed on the bottom walls and the chimes formed on the top walls.Also, in the preferred embodiment the dimples are formed in the bottlesand the protuberances on the bottle engaging means of the carrier.However, the projections can be formed on the bottles and the dimples inthe bottle engaging means of the carrier, although such arrangement maydetract from the appearance and feel of the bottle.

The package is assembled by forcing the bottle between the upper andlower bottle engaging means. The flexibility of the bottle engagingmeans will enable them to be forced apart until the lower chime of thebottle enters into the appropriate channel of the lower bottle engagingmeans and the appropriate dimple, or dimples, is engaged by theappropriate protuberance or protuberances. Once this interlock hasproperly registered the bottle, it cannot be accidentally displaced outof proper registration.

The invention has been shown in a single preferred form and by way ofexample only and many modifications and variations may be made thereinwithout departing from the spirit of the invention. For example, theinvention has been described as applicable to a bottle, whereas it isapplicable to containers in general. The invention, therefore, is not tobe limited to any specified form or embodiment except insofar as suchlimitations are expressly set forth in the claims.

lclaim:

l. A one-piece carrier made of resilient plastic material for lockingtogether a cluster of bottles to form a package, each of said bottleshaving an indentation formed in at least one end thereof for the dualpurpose of supporting and orienting the bottle relative to the carrierfor display purposes, comprising an upper bottle engaging elementengageable with the upper ends of a plurality of said bottles, a lowerbottle engaging element engageable with the lower ends of a plurality ofbottles, a flexible connection integrally connecting the upper and lowerbottle engaging elements and maintaining both elements in lockingengagement with the bottles, the upper and lower bottle engagingelements each having resiliently bendable corners to receive and lockthe bottles between the elements, and interlocking projections formed onthe comers of at least one of said bottle engaging elements, eachprojection being of complementary shape and interlocking with theindented formation in each of the bottles, said interlocking projectionsserving the dual purpose of locking the bottles in a cluster andproperly orienting them in the desired positions relative to one anotherand to the carrier.

2. A carrier as set forth in claim 1 including at least a pair ofbottles locked in side-by-side relationship to form the package, eachbottle including a side wall, an upper neck containing a pour opening,an upper surface around the periphery of the neck and integrallyconnected with the side wall and at least one indented formation formedin the upper peripheral surface of substantially complementary shape toan interlocking projecting means carried by the upper container engagingmeans.

3. A carrier as set forth in claim 1, in which there are fourinterlocking projections formed on the bottle engaging element andarranged in a square at angles apart to lock together and orient fourbottles, each having four indentations arranged in a square pattern at90 apart.

4. A carrier as set forth in claim 1, including at least four bottleslocked in side-by-side relationship to form the package, each bottlehaving four recesses at the end thereof spaced in a square pattern 90apart and in which there are four interlocking projections spaced on therespective bottle engaging element in a square pattern 90 apart.

1. A one-piece carrier made of resilient plastic material for lockingtogether a cluster of bottles to form a package, each of said bottleshaving an indentation formed in at least one end thereof for the dualpurpose of supporting and orienting the bottle relative to the carrierfor display purposes, comprising an upper bottle engaging elementengageable with the upper ends of a plurality of said bottles, a lowerbottle engaging element engageable with the lower ends of a plurality ofbottles, a flexible connection integrally connecting the upper and lowerbottle engaging elements and maintaining both elements in lockingengagement with the bottles, the upper and lower bottle engagingelements each having resiliently bendable corners to receive and lockthe bottles between the elements, and interlocking projections formed onthe corners of at least one of said bottle engaging elements, eachprojection being of complementary shape and interlocking with theindented formation in each of the bottles, said interlocking projectionsserving the dual purpose of locking the bottles in a cluster andproperly orienting them in the desired positions relative to one anotherand to the carrier.
 2. A carrier as set forth in claim 1 including atleast a pair of bottles locked in side-by-side relationship to form thepackage, each bottle including a side wall, an upper neck containing apour opening, an upper surface around the periphery of the neck andintegrally connected with the side wall and at least one indentedformation formed in the upper peripheral surface of substantiallycomplementary shape to an interlocking projecting means carried by theupper container engaging means.
 3. A carrier as set forth in claim 1, inwhich there are four interlocking projections formed on the bottleengaging element and arranged in a square at angles 90* apart to locktogether and orient four bottles, each having four indentations arrangedin a square pattern at 90* apart.
 4. A carrier as set forth in claim 1,including at least four bottles locked in side-by-side relationship toform the package, each bottle having four recesses at the end thereofspaced in a square pattern 90* apart and in which there are fourinterlocking projections spaced on the respective bottle engagingelement in a square pattern 90* apart.